Coastal Half Marathon Registration Opens for Nov. 28 Race on Backcountry Trail
Registration is open for the 19th annual Coastal Half Marathon, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on Nov. 28, starting and finishing at the Orange Beach Sportsplex and winding through Gulf State Park.
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Runners looking to work off a Thanksgiving meal now have a scenic option on the Alabama coast. Registration is open for the 19th annual Coastal Half Marathon, 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run, set for Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
All three races start and finish at the Sportsplex and send participants along the paved Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail at Gulf State Park. The courses are flat and accessible, and they offer runners and walkers a close-up look at some of the most varied natural scenery on the Gulf Coast.
Three Distances, Staggered Starts
The Coastal Half Marathon offers something for nearly every ability level, from experienced distance runners to families with young children. Start times are staggered by 10 minutes:
- Half marathon: 8 a.m.
- 5K: 8:10 a.m.
- 1-Mile Fun Run: 8:20 a.m.
The half marathon covers the most ground. In addition to its miles on the Backcountry Trail, the 13.1-mile course extends along the beach road before turning back through Gulf State Park to the finish at the Sportsplex. The 5K and the 1-mile run stay closer to the start, giving newer runners and children a chance to take part in race-day excitement without tackling the longer distance.
Registration and Fees
Registration is available online through the race’s RunSignup page. Current prices, including processing fees, are:
- Half marathon: $105.94, open to ages 15 and older
- 5K: $54, open to ages 7 and older
- 1-Mile Fun Run: $22.20
- Virtual race, any distance: $54
Prices for the half marathon and 5K are scheduled to increase after 11:59 p.m. Central time on Nov. 13. The fun run price goes up after Nov. 25. Virtual registration closes at 8 a.m. on race day. Runners who want to lock in the lower rates should sign up before those deadlines.
A Course Through Nine Ecosystems
The race’s signature feature is its route along the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, a network of paved and unpaved paths covering about 28 miles in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Much of it winds through Gulf State Park’s roughly 6,150 acres, largely hidden from the traffic on Canal Road and the beach highway.
The trail crosses nine distinct ecosystems, including maritime forest, marshes, lakes, prairies and dunes. Regular trail users report sightings of songbirds, raptors, rabbits, tortoises and the alligators that live in the park’s lakes. The endangered Alabama beach mouse and the gopher tortoise also make their homes in the park.
The trail is named for Hugh Branyon, the longtime Gulf State Park superintendent who led the park from 1970 until his retirement in 2009. It has earned National Recreation Trail status and won USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice award for Best Recreational Trail in the United States in 2023.
For racers, the trail offers more than scenery. Its paved surfaces and gentle grades make for a fast, flat course, and the tree cover along much of the route provides welcome shade.
Post-Race Celebration and Family Fun Zone
The finish line is only the beginning of the day’s festivities. After the races, participants and their families are invited to a post-race celebration with food and drinks, live music and an awards ceremony.
Families will also find a Family Fun Zone with inflatables and face painting, making the event an outing for supporters and spectators as well as racers.
A Thanksgiving Weekend Tradition
Now in its 19th year, the Coastal Half Marathon has become a fixture of the post-Thanksgiving weekend on the Alabama coast. Holding the race on the Saturday after the holiday gives visiting family members and vacationing runners a reason to lace up and explore the area’s trails while they are in town.
In past years, the race has been organized by Gulf Shores | Orange Beach Sports & Events, a partnership that includes Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, Gulf State Park and the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In 2024, the race also served as the Road Runners Club of America’s Alabama State Championship in several open and masters categories.
Late November usually brings mild temperatures to the Gulf Coast, which are well suited to distance running compared with the heat and humidity of summer months.
About the Orange Beach Sportsplex
The Orange Beach Sportsplex, at 4385 Williams Silvers Parkway, serves as the race’s start and finish area. The city-owned complex is a regular host for athletic events and tournaments and offers convenient access to the Backcountry Trail system, making it a natural base for a trail race.
If You Go
- What: 19th annual Coastal Half Marathon, 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run
- When: Saturday, Nov. 28; half marathon at 8 a.m., 5K at 8:10 a.m., 1-mile at 8:20 a.m.
- Where: Starts and finishes at the Orange Beach Sportsplex, 4385 Williams Silvers Pkwy., Orange Beach
- Course: Flat, paved routes on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail at Gulf State Park; the half marathon also runs along the beach road
- Cost: $105.94 half marathon, $54 5K, $22.20 fun run, $54 virtual; prices rise after Nov. 13 (half and 5K) and Nov. 25 (fun run)
- Extras: Post-race food and drinks, live music, awards ceremony and a Family Fun Zone with inflatables and face painting
